The father of top England footballer Jordan Henderson has again urged people around the North East to get checked for cancer as soon as they worry something might be wrong as part of the NHS's "help us help you" campaign.
Brian Henderson, who had a cancer diagnosis in 2013, local charity founder and chef Ryan Riley - who lost his mum to cancer - and retired footballer Maurice Hepworth, who has prostate cancer, have all backed an NHS campaign encouraging people to get any worrying symptoms checked as soon as possible.
Speaking from a specially-designed double-decker bus which is travelling around the country as part of the campaign and following World Cancer Day on February 4, the trio joined leading cancer nurse Melanie Robertson - from the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust - to urge people to head for a GP if they developed any unusual symptoms.
These included, Melanie said, anything unusual that persisted for around three weeks. This could be a pain, a lump or bump, or even "tummy trouble" like diarrhoea.
Brian Henderson has spent the decade since his diagnosis both recovering and working hard to raise cancer awareness. He's also been able to fundraise to support cancer care. In late 2021, by raffling the Liverpool shirt son Jordan wore to beat Manchester United 5-1, and by carrying out a series of challenges including a skydive for his wife Donna, the family raised £85,000 to pay for a high-end endoscopy unit called a 'Spectar EndoFlex System'.
That will help the team who saved Brian's life to do the same for many others in the North East. Now, he told ChronicleLive why people shouldn't be afraid of getting a GP's advice if they noticed something unusual. He said: "It's been a constant battle for the last ten years. If I hadn't gone to the doctors and I hadn't been diagnosed early, I don't know what would have happened.
"I would encourage everyone - doesn't matter whether it's a lump in the throat, the breast, the neck - to go and seek advice. It costs you nothing to go to the doctors and find out what it is. If it wasn't for these guys, I wouldn't be here."
Ryan Riley, founder of non-profit LifeKitchen added: "After losing my mother to cancer, I know first-hand how important it is to make sure you get any symptoms checked as soon as possible.
"I’m passionate about helping those living with cancer through my cooking school – but also want to help raise awareness and encourage people to be body vigilant - if something in your body doesn’t feel right, and you’re worried it could be cancer, contact your GP practice."
And Maurice, who is living with prostate cancer after a diagnosis and a life-saving operation five years ago, said he was passionate about pushing people to get themselves checked. Wearing a Prostate Cancer UK pin badge, he explained: "This badge here has already saved five lives and I'm hoping to perhaps have helped another three today. It's about making sure that message gets out and people have the bottle to get checked.
“My cancer diagnosis completely changed my life. It was an emotional and challenging journey, and I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the NHS, as well as my wonderful wife and kids’ support.
"As difficult as it can be, I want to encourage any man who is worried about his health to get checked as soon as he can and implore family members to encourage their loved ones to go see their GP when needed. Men should not feel weak, ashamed, or embarrassed when it comes to any kind of symptoms.
Melanie Robertson assistant director of nursing at the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust and cancer lead, said: "Sunderland is an area where unfortunately we have a number of cancers that are diagnosed at a later stage. So we have been promoting [symptoms such as] any changes in the body that just don't feel right.
"The most common would be an unexplained pain that doesn't come from an injury or a fall. There's also tummy trouble - any abdominal discomfort, bloating or diarrhoea that lasts longer than three weeks, or blood in poo. And blood in the urine just once would be something someone should go straight to the GP about."
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